The market's visibility to early quality issues has never been greater and will continue to accelerate. The extensive awareness creates opportunities for the prepared enterprise, and substantial risks for those slow to react.

By Anthony J. Lockwood

September 13, 2018

Dear DE Reader:

On-demand manufacturing is way better than Uber Eats, albeit their definitions of quick-turnaround have different connotations. Still, what do you have after your fast food delivery? Soiled shipping containers and some motley trash. On-demand manufacturing, on the other hand, can leave you with reduced development times, innovative products delivered to market faster and customers satisfied by your rapid response to their feedback.

The online case study “Parker Hannifin with Digital Manufacturing Brings Robotic Exoskeleton to Life” is a good example. It's all about speedy business-to-business collaboration, research and development. It begins with a technology licensing agreement to commercialize a robotic exoskeleton that enables people with lower limb paralysis to walk again. It ends with a fulfilled client sounding like they'll be back. In-between are fascinating techno tidbits and a close look at how digital manufacturing can transform design and development processes.

The robotic exoskeleton is named Indego. This wearable system is made up of hip and leg braces. Batteries power Indego's motors. It has a cluster of electronics. Intelligent software helps the user's movements.

The case study reports that traditional processes weren't going to meet tight deadlines. Essentially, waiting to get production quotes and final parts took too long. So the project team at Parker Hannifin’s Human Motion and Control business hooked up with Protolabs for fast prototypes, which they had done before, and, eventually, end-use parts.

In a Nutshell: Parker Hannifin Brings Robotic Exoskeleton to Life with Digital Manufacturing

Online report on developing a robotic exoskeleton that helps users regain the ability to walk.

Explores how digital manufacturing can transform design and development processes.

Shows how leveraging fast design analysis feedback can speed new product development cycles.

Demonstrates how on-demand manufacturing can help make companies more nimble.

Now, a tiny LED light pipe design to provide Indego users status details proved a challenge. The part was originally designed with a molded transparent thermoplastic. The material didn't play well with the rest of the assembly and was too brittle for daily use.

After some reevaluation, the team opted for liquid silicone rubber in part because of its flexibility and durability. Since Indego was still under development, they needed a cost-friendly molding option to quickly make components to test new designs.

Key was Protolabs' interactive quoting system. The team leveraged it frequently. What they'd do is upload designs, get design analysis feedback then revise designs until they hit their cost target. Everything happened digitally without making and waiting for a single part. Months of development time were saved.